Rudy Gobert's Bizarre Benching Vs. Canada Gets Confusing Update

It's not every day that you get to see a Defensive Player of the Year get benched, but here we are. France opened their quarterfinal game against Canada with reigning NBA DPOY Rudy Gobert on the bench. Fans were immediately confused about the decision.

The move ended up paying off for France: they jumped to an early lead in the first half and never looked back. Gobert played limited minutes off the bench, playing just three minutes and logging one rebound.

After the game, Gobert told reporters that he underwent surgery on his finger.

"French big man Rudy Gobert, who played less than four minutes tonight, just told a few of us reporters that he had surgery on his left ring finger yesterday and was thankful he was able to play at all in this win over Canada," Sam Amick of The Athletic said.

However, France's head coach, Vincent Collet, had a different answer. He said that Gobert did not undergo surgery, instead just having an MRI due to pain. While Gobert was cleared to play, he opted not to due to the matchups.

"Collet later clarified, indicating Gobert did not have surgery, but rather an exam of the finger that included an MRI, and was available to play despite still feeling some pain," Amick said in his article .

That's... certainly a weird disconnect between the coach and the star. Gobert did show up to the game with two of his fingers taped. It leaves people wondering why one of them would lie or if there was miscommunication between the two parties.

At the very least, benching Gobert seemed to be the right move. Former NBA player Guerschon Yabusele, who filled in for the Minnesota Timberwolves star, had 22 points for France. That adjustment definitely worked, regardless of the reasoning behind it.

Whether he went under the knife or not, Gobert will get a chance to redeem himself in the semifinals. France will be facing off against FIBA World Cup champions Germany in a few days. We'll see if Gobert will be cleared to play then.

Related: Germany Star's Honest Admission After Eliminating Giannis Antetokounmpo, Greece At Olympics